China's National Defence In A New Era

Beijing’s latest white paper on defence, which happens to be the first since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012 and the 10th in the series, is an attempt to link Chinese dreams with reality

- Vijay Shankar

The Chinese news agency Xinhua announced on July 24, 2019 that “China had issued a white paper to expound on its defensive national defence policy in the new era and explain the practice, purposes and significance of China's efforts to build a fortified national defence and a strong military”. Titled "China's National Defence in the New Era", the paper was released by the State Council Information Office with a view, as the Council suggested, to helping the international community better understand China's national defence. It is the tenth white paper on national defence that the government has issued since 1998 and the first comprehensive one since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.